If you just started learning how to paint with oils, the easiest thing to paint is going to be any simple still life subject in a controlled environment, with a good, clear lightsource and shadows. Boxes and spheres are the most typical easy oil painting ideas for beginners.
It's restricted because it can contribute to air pollution (VOCs and ozone). In some areas where it's banned for large scale use, you can still buy small cans (quart or less) for painting small items. Some paint manufacturers have abandoned the market altogether, which also adds to the confusion.
Beginner artists should start by painting, simple, not too complicated paintings. Basic still lives and basic landscapes are perfect, as they allow you to build up your skills without making it too difficult.
Easy painting ideas include simple still life setups like fruit, flowers, or everyday objects. Abstract designs, geometric patterns, or landscapes with broad brushstrokes can also be less intimidating for beginners.
For paint to dry without cracking and colors to be bright, the golden rule of painting is thick on thin: each succeeding layer should have slightly more oil than the previous one. The first ones should therefore have little oil and the following ones be richer and richer.
There are three rules to follow when painting in oils because colours dry at different rates: 'fat over lean', 'slow over fast' and 'thick over thin'.
The value of the oil paintings is determined by their age and maturity. Oil paintings that are 100 years old or older are the most valuable. Paintings painted between 50-100 years ago can be worth double, depending on how mature they are.
This is one of many reasons I recommend that you paint in some background color first around whichever object you are painting. That way if your paint does dry on canvas, you can very easily blend into the dry background colors to re-wet those areas and continue with your still life.
For some, learning to oil paint comes easily, while others may require more practice and instruction. The challenges you face will depend on factors like you're understanding the materials you're using, the cost of the materials you're using, and you're understanding of how to maintain proper safety when oil painting.
If you just started learning how to paint with oils, the easiest thing to paint is going to be any simple still life subject in a controlled environment, with a good, clear lightsource and shadows. Boxes and spheres are the most typical easy oil painting ideas for beginners.
Oil paint is easier for beginners due to its easy-to-manipulate nature and ability to paint layers over any mistakes. Watercolor paints are much more convenient based on ease of setting up and cleaning up, but the learning curve is much steeper in terms of mastering this art medium.
Untreated, or right out of the tube, oil paints usually dry to a semi-gloss that will stay looking “wetter” than most of acrylics will. Thicker paint will be glossier. Mixing a thinner or medium can adjust the finish of an oil painting up to a high gloss or down to a matte finish, but it won't be perfectly even.
The only toxic risk within oil painting is in the solvents and mediums you use. Turpentine and mineral spirits are toxic as they exude fumes that are very bad for your health. It is perfectly fine to use them, but do so sparingly, keep lids closed and windows open.
Van Gogh worked with oil paint. He used both paint with (natural) pigments, made the same way for centuries, as well as paint with new synthetic colourings. In Van Gogh's time, an age of revolutionary scientific advancement, these colourings were being developed for the textile industry.
Oil paintings will alway demand higher pricing because oil is a very difficult medium to become proficient with, and usually it will take the artist much longer to complete a piece. Also, the cost of paints, brushes and canvas is quite an investment.
Cons of Oil Painting
Additionally, the necessary use of solvents for cleaning and thinning oil based paints can release toxic fumes and provoke allergic reactions, requiring proper ventilation and safety measures. Oil paints should be kept away from children and pets for these reasons.
Oils remain manipulable on the canvas for days allowing you to alter and work into them in a way that's impossible with other mediums, which may actually make them easier for beginners.
Artists love it because they can create depth through different layers of pigment applied over time, this gives oil paintings a sense of dimension that's virtually impossible to achieve otherwise.
Prepping your canvas makes it less absorbent, helps your paint sit better on the surface, and protects your canvas from natural corrosion.
In general, oil underpaintings begin with a much larger proportion of solvent and a small amount of oil. This makes the paint dry faster, and less slick, so that future layers will attach properly. Pre-mixed oil painting mediums may also be useful for this purpose, as long as you remember the 'fat-over-lean' method.
While there's a debate whether a small size painting sells better than larger ones and vice-versa, a medium-sized canvas is a safe place to start. Canvas sizes such as 16″ x 20″ and 18″ x 24″ tend to sell well in the market. Paintings using these canvas sizes can fit the walls in most homes.
The average cost of a canvas oil painting can range anywhere from $100 to over $1,000. The final price depends on several factors, such as the artist's reputation, the size of the painting, and the complexity of the work.